The Les Miles' Curse

I thought it was just a joke, but after yesterday, it's real.

There's a reason Miles makes sure that the offense sucks every year. It's because the offense and defense can't both play well. Miles has been cursed to choose either a shoot out, or a low scoring game. We'll look at some years and games in particular to highlight this.

2008-
We averaged 31 ppg. Opponents averaged 24 because our defense went to garbage all of a sudden this year after a national championship season.

2010-
Oh look, our defense was finally good thanks to bringing in Chief the year before and he finally fixed the ship! But look, Jordan Jefferson in his second year as a starter has suddenly regressed and the offense can't do anything. Despite the offense being horrible, defense is lights out.

Now in the second to last game of the season, we are the #5 team in the country playing a 4-7 Ole Miss team at tiger stadium. And we manage to score 43 points, a season best for an SEC game! What a blowout! Oh it wasn't a blowout, in fact we won in the final minute and gave up 36 to a terrible Ole Miss team.

Is it a coincidence that the one game Jefferson throws for 250 yards and scores 43 points, the defense is terrible? Could be, let's keep looking.

2012- Once again, the offense is pretty average but the defense is just incredible. Leading up to week 11, the most points we had given up all season was 22 to Towson. The most points we had scored in an SEC game that season was 37 against Mississippi State, and we averaged 20 ppg in the SEC.

Now we get back to Ole Miss and what happens? We give up a season high 35 points. But we also score a season high 41. Once again, our best offensive performance coincides with our far and away worst defensive performance of the year.

2013-
Ah yes 2013. We've had a top 5 defense filled with NFL talent the last three years straight. Too bad our offense is terrible. But good news, we have an NFL QB, an NFL RB, and three NFL wide receivers! Finally our year to shine.

And the defense goes to garbage...

And when we lose our starting QB and can only score 21 in the game, the defense completely shuts down Iowa.

2014-
Offense goes back to being terrible, defense is magically good again (compared to the year before)

Games of note:
Florida 30-27, we give up 27 to the only offense worse than us, but also somehow manage to score 30, our second highest total in sec play this year, against one of the best defenses in the sec.

Notre Dame 31-28
Offense actually manages to score, and the defense looks worse than they have all year.

So is there a curse?